What tyre advantage? Vettel’s tyres may have been a bit fresher and softer, but with the marginal difference between the two compounds and the slow degradation, there can’t have been a huge difference; maybe in a series of corners, but they were on a straight, so maybe he could brake a few meters later, but that’s hardly enough to overtake someone. If you also take the potential importance of the move into account, you can only conclude that it was a great move.

Vettel’s tyres may have been used (in which case he would have done 1 hot lap on them in qualy), but he still had a tyre advantage. The simple fact that his tyres were *newer* means he had more grip. Add to that that he had softer tyres, he meant he had even more grip than Button. Also, necrodethmortem, they surely were on a straight – but newer tyres also allow you to brake later – which is exactly what Vettel did.

Having said all this, I thought the Vettel-Button move was good but not extraordinary.
Alonso’s on Webber, on the other hand, was proper hardcore stuff.

Alonso on Webber. No DRS, super-late on the brakes, did well to not run into Maldonado. He was doing the same thing on the first lap in India, with the McLarens. It makes me wonder if some drivers would do better than others without the aid of their artificial overtaking devices.

Vettel had a huge tyre advantage and should have actually passed Button a lot earlier. But the move in itself was quite good. Alonso on Webber was the pass of the day for me. He’s probably the only driver who passes other top cars on lap1,where drivers are generally not very aggressive.